4,476 research outputs found
A Bayesian spatio-temporal model of panel design data: airborne particle number concentration in Brisbane, Australia
This paper outlines a methodology for semi-parametric spatio-temporal
modelling of data which is dense in time but sparse in space, obtained from a
split panel design, the most feasible approach to covering space and time with
limited equipment. The data are hourly averaged particle number concentration
(PNC) and were collected, as part of the Ultrafine Particles from Transport
Emissions and Child Health (UPTECH) project. Two weeks of continuous
measurements were taken at each of a number of government primary schools in
the Brisbane Metropolitan Area. The monitoring equipment was taken to each
school sequentially. The school data are augmented by data from long term
monitoring stations at three locations in Brisbane, Australia.
Fitting the model helps describe the spatial and temporal variability at a
subset of the UPTECH schools and the long-term monitoring sites. The temporal
variation is modelled hierarchically with penalised random walk terms, one
common to all sites and a term accounting for the remaining temporal trend at
each site. Parameter estimates and their uncertainty are computed in a
computationally efficient approximate Bayesian inference environment, R-INLA.
The temporal part of the model explains daily and weekly cycles in PNC at the
schools, which can be used to estimate the exposure of school children to
ultrafine particles (UFPs) emitted by vehicles. At each school and long-term
monitoring site, peaks in PNC can be attributed to the morning and afternoon
rush hour traffic and new particle formation events. The spatial component of
the model describes the school to school variation in mean PNC at each school
and within each school ground. It is shown how the spatial model can be
expanded to identify spatial patterns at the city scale with the inclusion of
more spatial locations.Comment: Draft of this paper presented at ISBA 2012 as poster, part of UPTECH
projec
Location of Solution Channels and Sinkholes at Dam Sites and Backwater Areas by Seismic Methods: Part I
The basic concepts associated with the sledge hammer seismic refraction survey are reviewed and a modified version called down hole shooting is discussed. The latter method has distinct advantages for rock surface profiling. These include: calibration at the end points of the survey, measurement of vertical wave propagation velocities directly, and having a refracted wave ray path for almost the entire survey length.
The down hole shooting seismic refraction survey has been simulated with the digital computer. The method can handle any shaped rock surface profile and generates corresponding travel time curves for the forward and reverse profile surveys. This program was used to systematically study the effects of anomalies on the travel time curves. A method of data reduction was developed that enables an estimate of the rock surface profile to be made from the travel time data. The procedure involves the use of a reference depth line which connects the end points of a survey and the travel time curves for this reference depth line.
Field tests were performed at four sites having soil and rock characteristics different from each other. Typical results are given. Rock surface profiles are estimated from the travel time curves using the procedure developed and these are compared with the depth to rock by proof drilling.
Finally, the sources of error are discussed and some limitations of use are presented. For the sledge hammer method to be used for rock surface profiling, the rock surface should be within 25 to 30 ft of the soil surface and the minimum width of solution channel that can be sensed with this method is on the order of two feet. Recommendations for additional research are also given
Phosphorylation of CENP-A on serine 7 does not control centromere function
CENP-A is the histone H3 variant necessary to specify the location of all eukaryotic centromeres via its CENP-A targeting domain and either one of its terminal regions. In humans, several post-translational modifications occur on CENP-A, but their role in centromere function remains controversial. One of these modifications of CENP-A, phosphorylation on serine 7, has been proposed to control centromere assembly and function. Here, using gene targeting at both endogenous CENP-A alleles and gene replacement in human cells, we demonstrate that a CENP-A variant that cannot be phosphorylated at serine 7 maintains correct CENP-C recruitment, faithful chromosome segregation and long-term cell viability. Thus, we conclude that phosphorylation of CENP-A on serine 7 is dispensable to maintain correct centromere dynamics and function
Measurement of the Solar Neutrino Capture Rate by the Russian-American Gallium Solar Neutrino Experiment During One Half of the 22-Year Cycle of Solar Activity
We present the results of measurements of the solar neutrino capture rate in
gallium metal by the Russian-American Gallium Experiment SAGE during slightly
more than half of a 22-year cycle of solar activity. Combined analysis of the
data of 92 runs during the 12-year period January 1990 through December 2001
gives a capture rate of solar neutrinos with energy more than 233 keV of 70.8
+5.3/-5.2 (stat.) +3.7/-3.2 (syst.) SNU. This represents only slightly more
than half of the predicted standard solar model rate of 128 SNU. We give the
results of new runs beginning in April 1998 and the results of combined
analysis of all runs since 1990 during yearly, monthly, and bimonthly periods.
Using a simple analysis of the SAGE results combined with those from all other
solar neutrino experiments, we estimate the electron neutrino pp flux that
reaches the Earth to be (4.6 +/- 1.1) E10/(cm^2-s). Assuming that neutrinos
oscillate to active flavors the pp neutrino flux emitted in the solar fusion
reaction is approximately (7.7 +/- 1.8) E10/(cm^2-s), in agreement with the
standard solar model calculation of (5.95 +/- 0.06) E10/(cm^2-s).Comment: English translation of article submitted to Russian journal Zh. Eksp.
Teor. Fiz. (JETP); 12 pages, 5 figures. V2: Added winter-summer difference
and 2 reference
Molecular dynamics simulations of lead clusters
Molecular dynamics simulations of nanometer-sized lead clusters have been
performed using the Lim, Ong and Ercolessi glue potential (Surf. Sci. {\bf
269/270}, 1109 (1992)). The binding energies of clusters forming crystalline
(fcc), decahedron and icosahedron structures are compared, showing that fcc
cuboctahedra are the most energetically favoured of these polyhedral model
structures. However, simulations of the freezing of liquid droplets produced a
characteristic form of ``shaved'' icosahedron, in which atoms are absent at the
edges and apexes of the polyhedron. This arrangement is energetically favoured
for 600-4000 atom clusters. Larger clusters favour crystalline structures.
Indeed, simulated freezing of a 6525-atom liquid droplet produced an imperfect
fcc Wulff particle, containing a number of parallel stacking faults. The
effects of temperature on the preferred structure of crystalline clusters below
the melting point have been considered. The implications of these results for
the interpretation of experimental data is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figues, new section added and one figure added, other
minor changes for publicatio
A Lithium Experiment in the Program of Solar Neutrino Research
The experiments sensitive to pp-neutrinos from the Sun are very perspective
for the precise measurement of a mixing angle . A e
scattering experiment (Xmass) and/or a charged-current experiment (the indium
detector) can measure the flux of electron pp-neutrinos. One can find the total
flux of pp-neutrinos from a luminosity constraint after the contribution of
Be and CNO neutrinos to the total luminosity of the Sun are measured. The
radiochemical experiment utilizing a lithium target has the high sensitivity to
the CNO neutrinos, thus, it has a good promise for the precise measurement of a
mixing angle and for the test of a current theory of the evolution of the
stars.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, A report made by A.Kopylov at
International Conference NANP-2005, June 2005, Dubna, Russi
Support for graphicacy: a review of textbooks available to accounting students
This Teaching Note reports on the support available in textbooks for graphicacy that will help students understand the complexities of graphical displays. Graphical displays play a significant role in financial reporting, and studies have found evidence of measurement distortion and selection bias. To understand the complexities of graphical displays, students need a sound understanding of graphicacy and support from the textbooks available to them to develop that understanding. The Teaching Note reports on a survey that examined the textbooks available to students attending two Scottish universities. The support of critical graphicacy skills was examined in conjunction with textbook characteristics. The survey, which was not restricted to textbooks designated as required reading, examined the textbooks for content on data measurement and graphical displays. The findings highlight a lack of support for graphicacy in the textbooks selected. The study concludes that accounting educators need to scrutinize more closely the selection of textbooks and calls for more extensive research into textbooks as a pedagogic tool
Entropic effects on the Size Evolution of Cluster Structure
We show that the vibrational entropy can play a crucial role in determining
the equilibrium structure of clusters by constructing structural phase diagrams
showing how the structure depends upon both size and temperature. These phase
diagrams are obtained for example rare gas and metal clusters.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Solar Neutrinos and the Violation of Equivalence Principle
In this Brief Report, a non-standard solution to the solar neutrino problem
is revisited. This solution assumes that neutrino flavors could have different
couplings to gravity, hence, the equivalence principle is violated in this
mechanism. The gravity induced mixing has the potential of accounting for the
current solar neutrino data from several experiments even for massless
neutrinos. We fit this solution to the total rate of neutrino events in the
SuperKamiokande detector together with the total rate from other detectors and
also with the most recent results of the SuperKamiokande results for the
recoil-electron spectrum.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.
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